“Eh?” Fang Pingzhai and Yu Tuan’er looked at each other. In the middle of the night, how could there be soldiers? When the three had entered earlier, A’Shui hadn’t locked the door. Now they heard a loud crash as the wooden door was kicked open. Seven or eight men dressed as soldiers rushed in through the heavy rain, all talking at once: “All of you stand still! No one is allowed to talk nonsense! Line up against the wall, one by one!”
A’Shui was already standing against the wall. Fang Pingzhai pulled Yu Tuan’er aside. The soldiers’ gazes swept around the tightly closed guest room door, then suddenly fell on Liu Yan sitting in the chair. Seeing him in black clothes with his face covered, they immediately became suspicious. “Who are you? Why are you wearing a face veil in the middle of the night? Take it off! And you others – none of you are the master of this house, right? What exactly are your backgrounds?”
“These are guests who came to shelter from the rain tonight.” A’Shui had grown accustomed to the soldiers’ frequent searches these past few days. Although Tang Lici was in the room, the soldiers weren’t looking for the distinguished Tang, National Uncle, but for suspicious people of unknown origin, so she wasn’t anxious.
Fang Pingzhai waved his red fan, each wave hitting Yu Tuan’er’s head. “We’re just people traveling at night. This is my cousin who has been disabled since childhood with a twisted face. I heard that when he was born, he didn’t worship the gods and offended the Goddess of Childbirth, so he grew up looking truly like a ghost. Even I can’t bear to look – whenever I see him I definitely have nightmares, so we cover him with a face veil. This is my cousin’s betrothed wife. They’ve been engaged since childhood, so she doesn’t mind his disability at all. Oh my, such rare true love in this world… We three came from Mount Song, originally seeking a famous doctor to treat my cousin’s condition. We missed the inn on the road and encountered heavy rain. Fortunately this kind-hearted young lady took us in to shelter from the rain. We really aren’t suspicious people.”
Yu Tuan’er’s expression couldn’t be seen clearly under his red fan’s fanning, but she was amazed in her heart. He really was good at lying – in just the blink of an eye, he could make up a story so detailed and vivid it seemed completely real.
The soldiers looked at Fang Pingzhai suspiciously, seeing his yellow clothes and red fan, his composed manner. “You say you’re ordinary people? Do you think I’m stupid? I’ve seen plenty of ordinary families – do any of them dress like you? In deep autumn with wind and rain, why are you waving a fan? I think you’re probably accomplices with that murderer. What’s your name?”
Fang Pingzhai shook his head repeatedly. “Injustice, injustice! I’ve loved yellow since childhood. Yellow is noble, bright, gentle, romantic – it has the splendor of gold without gold’s vulgarity. Combined with vivid red, it’s even more dazzling. My family saw that I favored red and yellow from childhood, so they gave me the name Ochre Earth. Ochre is red, and in the Five Elements, yellow represents earth, so I’m called Ochre Earth. My cousin has loved black since childhood, so my family named him Ink Turban. This cousin’s wife is virtuous and good, but unfortunately not from a scholarly family – her parents named her Little White, which really isn’t elegant.” He spoke in a refined manner, instantly creating names for all three, speaking with such serious authority that Yu Tuan’er almost truly believed he was originally called “Ochre Earth” rather than Fang Pingzhai.
The soldiers were confused by his speech. The leader frowned. “Then this cousin of yours – take off his face veil and let me see what he looks like.” Liu Yan sat quietly, motionless, showing no intention of lifting his veil. Fang Pingzhai coughed. “My cousin has been disabled since childhood, so his hands and feet don’t work. Let me do it instead.” He reached out to lift Liu Yan’s veil. Liu Yan didn’t mind and remained motionless. There was a loud “Ah!” as the lead soldier suddenly saw a bloody, mangled, twisted, and horrifying face. Frightened, he jumped back a step. “Enough, enough! What kind of appearance could anyone cure? What famous doctor in Luoyang City could treat such a strange disease? Unless you could find an Imperial Physician from the palace – hmph! That’s impossible.”
The lead soldier waved his hand. Liu Yan’s veil was already lowered, but seeing such a face in this rainy night was hardly different from seeing a ghost. Just as they were about to leave, he suddenly asked, “Where does the famous doctor you’re seeking live? What’s his name?”
At these words, Yu Tuan’er was startled, and even A’Shui frowned slightly. But Fang Pingzhai said, “The famous doctor we seek is surnamed Shui, called Shui Duopo. Although his name contains the character ‘po’ (old woman), he’s an undeniable man. I hear this person has a handsome appearance, beautiful as an elegant young master. He’s lazy by nature and loves money like life, but although his medical skills are world-class, his reputation isn’t very prominent.”
The soldier pondered. “Shui Duopo? Shui Duopo? I seem to have heard this strange name somewhere…” He couldn’t remember for the moment. “Since that’s the case, stay here peacefully tonight to shelter from the rain. Don’t go out causing trouble – it’s not safe recently.” Fang Pingzhai repeatedly agreed. The soldiers still looked at them very suspiciously for a few moments before departing with their weapons.
The wind and rain gradually lessened, and everyone in the house sighed with relief. Yu Tuan’er looked curiously at A’Shui. This woman with a quiet expression who seemed somewhat cold and gentle – she must be the maid he spoke of, right? After looking a few times, she could see she was very beautiful, with an indescribable elegance at the corners of her eyes and brows. But looking longer, she also felt a kind of melancholy weighing on her heart, making her unable to feel happy at all.
With woman’s intuition about women, she felt this sister might be very beautiful and gentle, but was definitely very unfortunate – even people who stayed with her would become unfortunate too. That feeling of misfortune penetrated to the bone and marrow, simply… like being shrouded in a layer of cold, icy air.
She couldn’t help looking at Liu Yan. She didn’t want Liu Yan to be with A’Shui. Although if Liu Yan were with A’Shui, it would definitely be Liu Yan viciously bullying A’Shui, and this sister definitely wouldn’t resist, but – but it wasn’t that she wouldn’t resist that would make him happy.
He wanted to get something from A’Shui, but A’Shui couldn’t give it. Yu Tuan’er thought blankly. But if it were her instead, no matter what he wanted, she felt she could afford to give it, definitely could afford to give it – he just didn’t want it. He was the only person who was truly good to her. No matter what he wanted, she would try hard to give it.
Only she didn’t understand what Liu Yan wanted to get from A’Shui exactly.
“Let’s rest. I’ll still go make plain noodles for everyone.” A’Shui smiled. “The wind is strong at night – it’s better to eat something with hot broth.” Liu Yan said coldly, “The little girl doesn’t eat ginger.” A’Shui nodded. Fang Pingzhai said in his refined manner, “I want vinegar added.” A’Shui smiled slightly. “Please wait a moment.”